While the weather outside the small building on Miller Street may have cold and dreary, between the piping hot cups of vegetable soup being passed around and warm smiles and hearty laughs being exchanged inside, there was little reason for visitors to be dour Saturday.

That afternoon, leaders with Dowagiac nonprofit The Stepping Stone celebrated the completion of its new soup
kitchen, The Stones Throw Family Kitchen, located outside its community center at 200 Miller St. The cozy space will be used to serve soups, chili and other dishes free of charge to residents of the community, no matter their level of income or need.

Members with The Stepping Stone have spent the past year converting the small brick building, used off and on throughout the past 60 years as a diner, into a place that will serve hot meals to hungry residents in the Dowagiac area.

The nonprofit received a $5,000 grant from The Pokagon Fund in 2016 to purchase a commercial stove, refrigerator and other equipment for the space. Volunteers also installed new furniture and repainted the space, while contractors with Dowagiac’s Runkle Electric helped get the kitchen wired up with electricity and installed a new heating system.

The nonprofit installed the last major piece of equipment for the kitchen, a commercial-grade exhaust hood, several weeks ago.

The reason for The Stepping Stone’s yearlong venture to open the kitchen was simple: there was a huge need for it in Dowagiac, said Ester Stanley, a retired Dowagiac teacher and founder of the nonprofit group. Approximately one in six people in the community suffer from food insecurity, and could use a place to enjoy a free hot meal, she said.

“No one should ever have to go hungry,” she said. “When people who are need are able to get the help they need, it’s better for the entire community.”

The soup kitchen will also help serve one of the group’s other longstanding missions as well, of giving people the skills they need to improve their lives, Stanley said. For example, volunteers who work there will gain valuable experience in working in a commercial kitchen, as they help prepare and serve dishes for the public.

Most importantly, though, Stanley sees the family kitchen as a place that can help bridge the gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” in Dowagiac, she said.

“This will be a common place for people across all walks of life to come, have a cup of coffee and build new friendships,” Stanley said.

While meals will be served free of charge to all visitors, those with the money to spare will be encouraged to leave a donation, which will help the organization cover costs for food and utilities, Stanley said.

Among those in attendance at Saturday’s opening ceremony were Roger Rader and Andy Jackson, who serve on the Pokagon Fund board of directors. Rader — one of Stanley’s former students who grew up just a short distance away from the building — said he was greatly impressed by what The Stepping Stone had accomplished through the opening of the kitchen.

“This is a special place for the community of Dowagiac,” Rader said. “There are not a lot of places for the community to gather like this, so when something like this is built, we should celebrate.”

The Stepping Stone is currently looking for volunteers to work at the kitchen. For more information, people may contact the organization at (269) 782-0323 or visit thesteppingstoneback2basics.com.